Those Weasley Kids
by Hermione-G-Weasley
Summary: Due to major writer's block and a sudden inspiration to write pre-Hogwarts stories, I give you a story about eleven year old twins, nine year old Ron, eight year old Ginny, and their very exasperated mum!


Disclaimer: I own none of these wonderful Weasleys, though I really wish I could claim at least one of them. There's enough to go around, right?  
  
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"George Weasley, you put that wand down right this instant!" Molly Weasley's booming voice caused four fiery red heads to look up immediately.  
  
Eleven year old George Weasley grinned at his mother innocently. "Hiya, Mum."  
  
"Put that wand down," she ordered sternly, not trusting for one second the innocent look on his face.  
  
George grinned sheepishly and gently set the wand he was holding onto the coffee table in front of his identical twin, Fred. Fred was mirroring George's innocence as they both beamed at their mother sweetly. Behind them, their younger brother and sister were watching the scene wide-eyed. Their nine year old brother, Ron, was leaning far to his left to glimpse his mother from behind Fred, and their eight year old sister Ginny was doing the same but around George.  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked strictly down at her children and said, "I suppose you're all trying to get expelled from Hogwarts before you've even begun. Is that it?"  
  
Ron immediately spoke up loudly, "I didn't do anything."  
  
Mrs. Weasley turned her attention fully to her youngest son. "Don't even try it, Ronald," she warned. "I am not stupid, and I am not blind."  
  
She'd walked in to find her four youngest children speaking quietly in hushed voices. Upon straining to overhear, she'd learned that they were discussing the latest hexes they'd heard about and were trying figure out how best to use them on their older brother Percy.  
  
Four sets of eyes, three brown and one blue, were watching her intently, obviously waiting to see what she would say next. She had to fight back the urge to smile as they all looked up at her, trying to appear as utterly innocent as possible. Of course, some of them were better than others. Fred and George had the whole look down to an art, something she'd learned to ignore years before. Ginny wasn't quite as good, as she kept glancing at the floor rather nervously. Ron was sucking on his lower lip as his azure eyes danced toward the ceiling, guilty of being caught in a lie and obviously rather worried about it.  
  
"The four of you are going to be the death of me, yet!" she sighed exasperatedly as she reached over and lifted the wand carefully out of her children's reach. "I cannot believe that you would even consider hexing your older brother! You could all take a leaf out his book, you know?"  
  
All four of the redheaded children mentally rolled their eyes. Percy, Percy, Percy. They'd made a joke that their parents had named him Percy only because it was so close to Perfect. Perfect Percy.  
  
They all disliked him greatly.  
  
They all knew better than to allow this fact to be publicized, though, so Fred took the initiative to speak for his siblings. "We're really sorry, Mum," he feigned earnestly. "We were just upset because he called us all stupid, annoying imbeciles."  
  
He had actually said that, as a matter of fact. Of course, he'd only said it after the twins had snuck into his room and stolen the Transfiguration essay he was working on, taken it upstairs, and drawn all over it with the help of the two youngest Weasleys, only to return it later. When Percy had found the essay covered in doodles of what were obviously very unflattering pictures of himself, he'd run upstairs and blessed the whole lot of them out.  
  
"And just why did he say that?" queried Mrs. Weasley curiously.  
  
Fred just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in a quite flustered fashion. "Mental sometimes, that one…"  
  
"And it's one thing when he says that stuff to Fred and me, but it is quite another when he says it to Ginny and Ron," George added quite seriously. He reached behind him to grab Ginny's hand and pull her around for a protective half-hug. Mrs. Weasley had to force herself not to snort with laughter when Fred followed suit with Ron who gave a loud noise of protest at being hugged.  
  
"So, you were just protecting the little ones, is that it?" Molly struggled to keep a straight face as Fred answered quickly.  
  
"Yes, of course!" He ruffled Ron's hair, making it even more unruly than normal. Ron glared up at his older brother but smartly kept his mouth shut.  
  
Seeing that she wasn't going to get a confession out of any of the boys, Molly opted for the easy way out. "Ginny, is that how it all happened?"  
  
She heard three distinct sighs as Fred, George, and Ron all hung their heads, defeated. The little girl stared up at her mother silently for a moment before blinking her eyes several times. Suddenly, she burst into tears and nearly shouted, "No!" Molly listened intently as her only daughter spilled the entire story, burying herself and three of her brothers in their own guilt. "I'm sorry, Mummy!" she sobbed at the end, shrinking back a bit as she glimpsed three hard-pressed glares in her direction.  
  
Molly sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you all?" she asked finally.  
  
Fred grinned guiltily up at his mother. "Accept our apologies and send us on our way?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Not a chance," she dashed their hope in a second. Grabbing Ginny's hand and reaching over to grasp Ron by his ear ("Ow, ow, ow, owww!!!"), she pulled them in the direction of the stairs. "Don't move," she warned the twins dangerously as she dragged their younger siblings up the stairs and to Ginny's room which was on the second landing. Opening the door, she gently pushed her daughter in said, "I'll be back," before shutting the door to Ginny's quiet whimpers. Looking down briefly to glimpse Ron who was still wincing his face in pain, she rolled her eyes. Without letting go of his ear, she dragged him up several more flights of stairs until they'd reached the top floor and the door labeled "Ronald's Room."  
  
After opening the door and pulling her youngest son in with her, she closed them in and finally let go of his ear. "Sit," she ordered simply.  
  
Ron looked up at her for a second before he climbed onto his hideously orange bed, still rubbing his ear. He was silent, obviously waiting for her to start the lecture.  
  
Molly stood in front of him and studied him for a moment. She noticed that he was no longer trying to pull the innocent act; in fact, he was looking rather guilty. She sighed slightly and said, "Ron, I am upset with all of you, but you have disappointed me the most."  
  
"But Fred and George…" Ron spoke up quickly and loudly to defend himself, but he was cut off by his mother.  
  
"You stay quiet and let me finish." She saw him give his own little sigh as he cocked his head to study her. "The reason being that you flat-out lied to my face down there."  
  
"But…" Ron tried again, but was interrupted by a now very agitated mother.  
  
"No buts! Unless you want yours to be very red," she finished warningly. Ron's face fell, but he abruptly closed his mouth which was still open in mid-protest. He obviously understood her implications quite clearly. "Now, you're going to sit there and listen to me, and you're not going to speak. Do you understand that?"  
  
Ron looked down at his hands, scowling, and muttered, "Yes, ma'am."  
  
"Good. Now I want to know exactly why you thought you could lie to me and get away with it." She looked at him expectantly, but he just stared up at her with a confused expression on his face until she finally said, "You answer me when I ask you a question." He opened his mouth but then shut it and gave her a bewildered look. She was quickly reaching the end of her rope. "Ron!"  
  
He jumped a bit at her sudden outburst but finally opened his mouth just enough to whisper, "Am I supposed to talk now?"  
  
Molly drew in a breath and put one hand to her forehead, closing her eyes in the process. She tried desperately to remember what it had been that had made her think that having seven children was simply a lovely idea. She tried not to think that Ron was only the first child on a list of four she would have to go through this with today. Slowly, she opened her eyes and addressed him in the calmest manner she could manage. "Yes, Ron. You are allowed to talk when I ask you a question."  
  
He nodded and said, "Well, I didn't know because you said for me not to talk, but then you asked me a question. And I would have answered you straight away, but I didn't want you to whip me, so I…"  
  
"Just answer me now!" Her voice was now not quite as calm.  
  
He jumped again in shock. "Right," he said nodding his head. He obviously thought of something more appropriate because he quickly added, "Uh, I mean yes ma'am." But then he wrinkled his forehead and looked up at her sheepishly. "Umm… Could you maybe repeat the question?"  
  
If she managed to make it through the day without murdering her youngest son, it would truly be a miracle. Willing herself not to reach over and strangle the child in front of her, she repeated the question through tightly gritted teeth. "I asked you why you thought you could lie to me."  
  
Ron's eyes widened as he obviously remembered the question. "Right!" Shifting a bit on the bed, he struggled with his answer. "Uh, well, I just… I mean… I didn't actually… Um…"  
  
Shaking her head quickly and realizing she wouldn't be able to deal with another lie, she halted him by holding her hand up and saying, "Just stop."  
  
Ron opened his mouth once again, but then, after glancing at his mum, shut it quickly and watched her warily.  
  
"Now," Molly continued, "you have to realize that telling lies is simply unacceptable. Your father and I can put up with a lot, but we will not tolerate a liar- no exceptions! Do you think that when you go to Hogwarts that all the professors are going to appreciate it if lie to them? They won't!" her voice grew louder and more irritated. "Do you think they'll put up with that there?!"  
  
"Prob…"  
  
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!" she ordered fiercely. She watched as Ron's eyes grew wide, his mouth still half-open. Then he wrinkled his forehead and bit down on his lower lip before clapping both of his hands to his face. Molly quieted and stared at him soundlessly for a moment. "What is the matter with you?" she finally asked.  
  
She saw Ron's finger slide apart and glimpsed his blue eyes staring out at her timidly through the cracks. He didn't say a word.  
  
"Answer me!" she demanded, quite exasperated.  
  
She heard Ron sigh from behind his hands and give a muffled reply of, "Mum, you're confusing me…"  
  
Molly didn't know whether to scream or laugh. Opting for neither, she sat down in a chair across from Ron's bed and pried his hands away from his face. "Look at me," she said calmly, and she watched as Ron slowly turned to look at her, utter bewilderment all over his face. She sighed softly and gently squeezed his hands which she still held in her own. "Ron, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, smiling just a bit.  
  
Ron shrugged and hung his head. "I don't know. I'm too stupid to even get yelled at correctly… I bet Fred and George never screw this up." His voice was quiet and reluctant.  
  
Molly felt a tug at her heart. It upset her so badly when Ron started acting this way, as though he was somehow inferior to his brothers. "Ron, don't call yourself stupid. You are not stupid; you are brilliant."  
  
"You have to say that," he said bitterly. "Cause you're my mother."  
  
She felt a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I don't have to do anything- that's the best part about being the mother."  
  
He smiled quite sheepishly and nodded just a bit. "I'm sorry for lying," he said honestly. "And I'm sorry for drawing on Percy's homework… And I'm sorry for not knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet…"  
  
Molly couldn't help but laugh at her son's apologies. She always found it incredibly difficult to scold Ron, as he always had a habit of turning her anger into laughter. "Come here," she pulled him to his feet and still held his hands as he stood in front of her. "One of these days you're going to find yourself in trouble that that adorable little face isn't going to get you out of, you know that?" she asked, smiling. Ron bit his lower lip and grinned, showing off the hole in the center of his mouth that was the result of a missing tooth that hadn't yet regrown itself. Molly just shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes in amusement as she pulled Ron to her for a hug. He instinctively crawled into her lap and laid his head against her shoulder as she gently rocked him from side to side. She was so happy that he hadn't yet outgrown her lap, but she knew it was only a matter of time. He was already tall for his age, lacking the twins by only a few inches and already towering over Ginny despite their close age. And she knew that soon enough even a hug from his mother was going to embarrass him; she had five older boys to judge this from. But she was in no hurry to let the little one in her arms grow up too fast. Ron was and always would be her baby. Yes, Ginny was younger, but she always thought of Ginny more as "the only girl" than the baby; to her, Ron was the baby. And she'd be lying if she said that this title didn't always find a way of getting him out of trouble for the most part. She hated to think that in only two short years he'd be running off to school, and she knew that he'd grow up there and turn into a man instead of the little boy she was cradling in her arms. She was in no hurry for him to grow up; she liked having him this size because he was just too adorable for words. And she couldn't help but think that there was something terribly special about her youngest son- like he was destined to do something great.  
  
"You are really something else," she told him quietly as she tried desperately to smooth down his messy red locks. No matter how she seemed to cut his hair, it never seemed to want to lie straight, but actually, she thought this only added to his cuteness.  
  
"Mum?" Ron asked, leaning up a bit to look at her. She raised her eyebrows at him curiously, and he finished his question. "Am I still in trouble?"  
  
Molly shouldn't have laughed, but she really couldn't help it. Sighing, she reached up to push his hair out of his eyes. "Yes, Ron, you are."  
  
"Bugger," he muttered.  
  
"What was that?" she asked with raised eyebrows.  
  
Ron's face took on a rather panicked look before he laughed nervously. "Uh… I meant… I meant darn," he told her finally. He looked down and mumbled, "Sorry."  
  
Molly just shook her head in disbelief. She was willing to let the minor swearing go for once because she really didn't want to punish him for anymore than she already had to. Getting back to the business at hand, she accepted his apology and went back to her lecture with Ron still on her lap. "Sweetheart, I know you're sorry about everything, but you have to learn that you cannot go around telling lies, and you especially have to learn not to go along with everything that Fred and George tell you to do." She looked at him seriously, and he nodded, once again chewing on his lower lip. "Because you know that when you go along with them, you only get yourself into trouble, right?"  
  
"I know," he sighed slightly. "But if I don't do what they tell me to do, they call me a chicken."  
  
Molly didn't doubt for a second that her youngest son was telling the truth about that. Sometimes she didn't know how in the world to handle her twins; they were barely eleven years old, and already they were causing her more trouble than her other children put together. And they'd be starting at Hogwarts in the fall… She was preparing herself for the embarrassment of countless owls home. Oh, well, she'd deal with that when she had to.  
  
"When they pick on you, come get me, okay? I'll take care of it."  
  
Ron nodded, but she knew he would never actually follow her advice. She knew all about the whole pride thing that nine year old boys had, and she knew Ron would rather get in trouble than run off and tattle to his mother that his big brothers were picking on him. Still, he said, "Okay."  
  
"Now, we need to discuss your punishment." She spoke to him gently to let him know that she was no longer angry with him.  
  
Ron looked down and nodded slowly.  
  
"What do you think would be fair?" Molly always tried to discipline her children in the fairest of ways, and she'd found that discussing their punishment with them always seemed to help them fully understand why they were in trouble.  
  
"Well, what am I being punished for?" he asked quietly. "For lying or for drawing on Percy's homework or for trying to hex him or for swearing or what?" His eyes were slightly wider than normal as he looked at her warily.  
  
She couldn't help but be amused at him. At least he knew what he'd done wrong. "All of the above," she said, hiding her smile. "Except for the swearing. I'll let that one slide."  
  
He smiled a little and said, "Thanks." Then his face wrinkled a bit, and he said, "But that's still a lot."  
  
She nodded. "It is, isn't it?"  
  
Ron mirrored her nod and sighed rather loudly. "Yeah."  
  
"So, how about this?" Molly tilted his chin with her hand and eyed him. "You do all the dishes for two weeks and you apologize to Percy for vandalizing his essay."  
  
"All of the dishes?!" Ron's mouth flew open in protest. "Ah, Mum! Bill and Charlie are gonna be here, too! That's nine people for two whole weeks!"  
  
"Ron…" she said warningly, eyeing him sternly.  
  
Ron scowled for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding and muttering a very quiet, "Yes, ma'am."  
  
Molly leaned her forehead down to rest against his, and she smiled warmly at him. "I just want you to learn your lesson," she said gently.  
  
He nodded a little, not breaking the head to head contact, and said, "I know. And I really am sorry, by the way."  
  
Pulling back to place a kiss against the part of his head she had just been resting against, she said, "Good. Now, I want you to tell Percy that."  
  
"Okay." Ron slid off of his mother's lap, and she was just about to leave for Ginny's room when a huge crash was heard from below them, followed by several short yelps. Her eyes flew open, and so did Ron's. "What was that?" he asked, awed.  
  
"Those twins…" she muttered, her face darkening. Without a backwards glance, Molly hurried from the room and down the stairs, her youngest son close on her heels. When she passed the second floor, Ginny poked her head out of her room and asked what was going on.  
  
Molly didn't know what was going on, but she was quite sure she was about to find out…  
  
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So? What do you guys think? Should I continue this or not? I'm just on a Weasley kick for some reason. (I'm also having major writer's block with the other stories…) Anyway, I'd love some feedback! 


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